If faux fur is good enough for the Queen...
HOW TO DRESS LIKE A GROWN UP
SO the Queen will no longer be wearing new outfits featuring fur. She has not ruled out revisiting her old mink — the ermine on her historic state robe will stay in place.
But, from now on, whenever Her Majesty attends engagements in especially cold weather, ‘fake fur will be used to make sure she stays warm’.
So, there you have it. The ultimate endorsement of faux fur — and, arguably, the last nail in the coffin of the real thing. If it’s good enough for HM, then it’s good enough for us.
And the timing could not be better. No one would suggest that the Queen waited until the faux fur market was ready to rise to the occasion, but winter 2019 is a good season for faux fur.
Faux has come a long way. It’s gone from transparently fun — the texture of soft toys in unconvincing colours — to glossy, good- looking, fabulous faux fur that’s preferable to the real thing, and not just for ethical reasons, but because it’s lighter, leaner and a lot easier to look after.
Is it warmer? Almost certainly not, but really, how warm do you need to be?
Oh, and there is, of course, the question of price. Once, a woman in possession of a mid-length mink was also in possession of a fortune, or a husband with one.
Now, the joy of a faux fur coat is that it costs no more than any other coat, but it can be as authentically furry (we’re past the moment when people worried that to wear imitation fur was to encourage interest in the real thing) or as Disney Fantasia as you feel in the mood for.
Right now, however, what appeals is something the Queen might take a shine to. Not so much the lynx effect or the shocking-pink teddy bear (love those, but they’re a rock chick vibe, and we are now in sophisticated lady mood).
The look to aim for is luxe casual: smart trousers and a silk shirt plus a substantial glossy midi-fur coat; or slinky midi dress, boots and fur coat.
HM wouldn’t wear these top-ranking furs quite like this but, since the surprising picture of her with her hands in her pockets, we know she would if she could.
Moving with the times is all about making faux fur your go-to smart- casual option. I have my eye on Mango’s long, minky, dark-brown belted coat (£169.99, mango.com), which would look great shrugged on over anything from jeans and a polo-neck to a party dress. (Note: shrugging sounds like a fashion affectation, but it’s just a way of making a coat more relaxed, like an afterthought.)
Mango also does a smart double-breasted faux fur in light taupe (£119.99).
Meanwhile, Jakke does a nice chocolate-brown three-quarter coat (£160, jakke.co.uk) that has Princess Margaret written all over it. The brand is a good,
reasonably priced place to start for faux fur. As is the label Stand. It does a terrific slouchy, oversized leopard coat (£299, irisfashion.co.uk) and one in taupe (£280, trilogystores.co.uk).
If you want something more casual, Topshop has a chocolatey, teddy bear, double- breasted short coat (£75, topshop.com). One step closer to ‘with jeans only’ is Zara’s short, hooded, faux fur coat (£79.99, zara.com). Zara does plenty of teddy bear- style fur, including a slouchy light- brown coat (£ 95.99). This is a long way from your glossy faux mink, and looks dressing-gowny on me, but some people love it. And, if you want to get your daughters drooling with envy, then look to Shrimps. The label more or less kicked off the advent of zany, bright and bushy faux fur (remember those double-dipped stoles). Currently on its website is a faux fur — tigerish with a black trim — that would not look out of place on The Crown, on Margaret, maybe even Anne, with Rayne patent shoes and a silk headscarf (Vivien coat, £595, shrimps.com). This is a look that’s going to run and run.